


Out Loud

by obstinatrix



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-26 00:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3831010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinatrix/pseuds/obstinatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik is a loud and angry gay rights crusader and member of the Labour Union. Charles is...not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out Loud

**Author's Note:**

> This is a tiny snippet from Tumblr, but I'm putting it here because I like it and it'll get lost, otherwise.

Erik drinks in the William IV for a reason. Everything Erik does is for a reason these days: his clothes are an act of rebellion, slogan t-shirts daring passers-by to comment; the glint of diamante in his left ear accompanies him everywhere from the bank to the office. The William IV has been gloriously gay since the 30s, back when Erik and his mother were fighting an entirely separate battle, and Erik wants to lean over and punch the bright-eyed posho sitting two stools down the bar for daring to come in here. 

God. He cups his beer sullenly in both hands and ventures a sidelong glance under his lashes. He saw this bloke during the protest, hovering around on the edges waving let’s-get-along signs and smiling hopefully. Yes, well: he’s certainly got the kind of smile that could sell coals to poor fucking Thatcher-bound Newcastle, but he doesn’t seem to have much going on behind it. Erik’s met his type before, the naive integrationist toff-queers who just want their bumming and their Tory vote to rub along nicely together. Privileged twats who’ve never known what it’s really like to be a target. 

It’s all the more indication of this guy’s lack of intellectual prowess that he actually leans across and taps Erik on the arm, says “Hello” as if he’s completely missed the dour look on Erik’s face. And it’s awkward in the extreme that, politically misled though he may be, the smile still makes Erik’s insides do a gleeful little twist, wanting closer, painfully uncaring of the many and varied failings of this man. 

Fuck. He’s so gay. At times like this, and times like this only, Erik curses the fact. 

“Hi,” says Erik’s mouth, entirely without permission from Erik’s brain. “I saw you out there this afternoon. First Pride?” 

The man nods, and his eyes are blue as oceans, impossibly huge. Damn him. “The first of many, I hope. I’m Charles.” He extends a hand, square palm and blunt fingers. “I get the impression you’ve done this a lot. Perhaps you’d care to show me the ropes a little?” 

Oh shit, oh shit, Erik’s so fucking gay. It’s got him into trouble before now, led him into bad decisions many a time, and it will again. He takes Charles’s hand, squeezes it, lets his thumb graze his soft inner wrist before he pulls away. 

“I’ll show you anything you want, if you ask nicely,” he says. 

Charles grins.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Out Loud (The And Proud Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12035124) by [heyjupiter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter)




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